The Pittsburgh Steelers have made their call at quarterback, and it's good news for Will Howard. Despite a rocky night against the New York Jets, the team is sticking with the signal-caller as the No. 2 option behind starter Russell Wilson.
Howard's outing on Friday was far from clean. He completed 10 of 15 passes for just 74 yards and threw two interceptions, one of which nearly became a pick-six before he hustled to make a diving tackle on safety Andre Cisco. The second turnover was snagged by cornerback Samuel Womack. After the game, Howard owned the mistakes, saying, "Both of them were unfortunate. Just can't happen. Running a shallow cross and kind of drift a little bit and the safety jumped it. Just got to see in front of that. There's other little things on the play. And that second one just got undercut and just got to put it out in front of him."
But according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steelers have already decided to keep Howard on the 53-man roster for the upcoming season. That decision also extends to rookie Drew Allar, who will stick around as well. It's a vote of confidence in a young quarterback room, even if the preseason numbers haven't been pretty.
Allar didn't fare much better against the Jets. After a dazzling debut against the Green Bay Packers—where he threw for 153 yards and accounted for three touchdowns—he came back down to earth. Against New York, he completed just 11 of 23 passes for 110 yards and was sacked three times. He pointed to his own decision-making as the culprit: "I just need to do a better job, especially early in drives, taking what's given. I felt like I passed up a couple opportunities early in drives that either set us back with an incompletion or a sack that if I just take what's there, even if it's catch tackle, we're not in a backed-up situation. I felt like that's where I could help the offense more."
The Steelers' quarterback situation is part of a broader preseason picture that has seen several rookies turning heads across the league. But for Pittsburgh, the focus is on stability behind center. Keeping Howard and Allar means the team is betting on upside and development rather than chasing a veteran backup.
It's a gamble, but one the Steelers seem comfortable with. Howard's athleticism and arm talent have always intrigued coaches, even if his consistency needs work. Allar, meanwhile, is a raw project with a high ceiling. Both will get one more chance to prove themselves in the preseason finale, and fans will be watching closely to see if either can build momentum heading into the regular season.
The team's decision also comes amid a camp that has had its share of disruptions, including a lightning-forced cancellation of a practice. But the quarterback competition has remained the top storyline, and now it's settled—at least for the time being.
With the regular season looming, the Steelers are banking on their young quarterbacks to step up. Whether that pays off remains to be seen, but for now, Howard and Allar can breathe a little easier knowing their spots are secure.
